any vessel or vessels, allies or neutrals, bound to any ports in Hispaniola occupied by the rebels, shall suffer death. Those found on board of any vessel, allies or neutrals, coming out of any ports in Hispaniola, occupied by the rebels, shall suffer death. Those found at two leagues distance, from any part of the coast of Hispaniola, occupied by the rebels, on board of allies or neutrals, shall suffer death. II. The general informs, that all prisoners made in those different cases, shall be brought into one of the ports of Hispaniola, occupied by the French, to be tried by military commission, which is to pronounce sentence. III. This proclamation shall be put into execution, on the 1st Floreal, (21st April) and until that time all the preceding proclamations, in order to prevent all kinds of communication with the coast of Hispaniola, occupied by the rebels, shall be strictly executed. IV. Of this present proclamation registered at the colonial inspection, one hundred copies are printed, published and posted up in all the chief places, round the east part of Hispaniola, and all necessary ships shall be taken to its publicity in all the islands and continent of America. Done at head quarters of the general of St. Domingo, the 16th Pluviose, year the 13th, 5th February, 1805. The general commander in chief, acting as captain general, and member of the legion of honour. L. FERRAND. (Signed) SPANISH DECREES, &c. Copy of a Letter from the secretary of state of his Catholic majesty, to the minister plenipotentiary of the United States at Madrid. SIR, ARANJUEZ, FEB. 15, 1800. THE king wishing to lessen as much as possible the evils resulting to the nation, from the scandalous traffick which many of his subjects carry on with Gibraltar by means of neutral vessels, and making use of just reprisals against [TRANSLATION.] Extract from the register of the resolves of the commission delegated by the French government to the Leeward Islands. THE Commission resolves, that the captains of French national vessels and privateers are authorized to stop, and bring into the ports of the colony, American vessels bound to English ports, or coming from the said ports. The vessels which are already taken, or shall be hereafter, shall remain in the ports of the colony, until it shall be otherwise ordered. At the Cape, 7th Frimaire (27th November, 1797) in the fifth year of the French republick, one and indivisible. Signed on the records of the process verbal. SANTHONAX, RAIMOND, Commissioners, A true copy. The Secretary General of the Commission, PASCAL L. Ferrand, general of brigade, commander in chief of St. Domingo, acting as captain general, and a member of the legion of honour. EXPERIENCE has, for too much time, taught the general, that all kind of regard and modification towards those scoundrels, who maintain the rebellion in Hispaniola, by furnishing every thing necessary to the rebels, against the will and approbation of their respective governments, and who, by those acts of cupidity, dishonour the flags they under; and finding the necessity of putting a stoi ty, and to treat them as pirates, has proclai claims.... ART. 1. All individuals whomsoever, for s that pe. comletters James, . that it wholly, .ny port France, st conve might be ships be wance for giving due Ity, should Born, meal, ity with us. present the government, r farther orall no longer our commanserve the re. likewise, all I which still the enemies of his crown, who have declared the ports of Cadiz and St. Lucar de Barrameda blockaded: his majesty has thought proper to declare, that from this day he should consider Gibraltar as blockaded, and that under this view all captures of neutral vessels going to the said place should be held as legitimate: for which purpose, and that ignorance may not be pleaded, his majesty has commanded me to communicate this declaration for the information and government of your court. I place myself at your disposition, and pray God to preserve your life many years. (Signed) MARINO LUIS DE URQUEJO. SPANISH DECREE. [See preceding vol. p. 191.] His Majesty has been pleased to issue the following royal decree: [See preceding vol. p. 278.] The following documents were not communicated in time to be inserted in the order of date. Copy of a Letter from Sir John Jervis, to Thomas Griffith, Esq. Barbadoes. SIR, THE several French West India islands are to be considered as under blockade, from the arrival of the armament at Barbadoes, the 6th of January: therefore all neutral vessels, trading with these islands within that period, are clearly intended to come within the king's order in council, dated the 6th of November, 1793. (Signed) J. JERVIS. BOYNE, in Fort Royal Bay, Martinico, 18th March, 1794. INSTRUCTIONS To the commanders of all ships of war and privateers that have, or may have, letters of marque against France. GEORGE R. AUG. 18, 1794. WHEREAS by an article of our instructions to the commanders of our ships of war and privateers, having letters of marque against France, given at our court at St. James, the 8th day of June, 1793, we thought fit to declare, that it should be lawful to stop and detain all ships laden wholly, or in part, with corn, flour, or meal, bound to any port in France, or any port occupied by the armies of France, and to send them to such ports as should be most convenient, in order that such corn, meal, or flour, might be purchased on behalf of our government, and the ships be released after such purchase, and after a due allowance for freight, or that the masters of such ships, on giving due security, to be approved by our court of admiralty, should be permitted to dispose of their cargoes of corn, meal, or flour, in the ports of any power in amity with us. We, not judging it expedient to continue for the present the purchase of the said cargoes on behalf of our government, are pleased to revoke the said article, until our farther order therein; and to declare that the same shall no longer remain in force. But we strictly enjoin all our commanders of our ships of war and privateers, to observe the remaining articles of the said instructions; and, likewise, all other instructions which we have issued, and which still continue in force. SIR, His Britannic Majesty's ship CAPTAIN, off Cadiz, April 11, 1797. IN consequence of the unprovoked declaration of war, by the king of Spain, against his Britannic majesty and the British nation, it is thought right that Spain should no |